Mario Balotelli has taken to Instagram to thank former teammate Andrea Pirlo, after the veteran midfielder heaped praise on the striker.
Pirlo, who played alongside Balotelli for the Italian national team, urged the controversial striker to fulfil his world-class potential this week, and the 25-year-old is grateful for the confidence boost.
In a post on his personal Instagram account, he thanked his former teammate for the kind words and promised to use it as motivation.
The midfield maestro had recently revealed how highly he regarded Balotelli, stating he always had a fondness for the controversial youngster.
The midfield maestro had recently revealed how highly he regarded Balotelli, stating he always had a fondness for the controversial youngster.
He said: “I have played with some of the best strikers, and I can tell you Mario has all the attributes to be one of the best strikers in the world. By now I thought that is where he would be, that is where he should be. He has no more time to waste.”
In response, the forward wrote a message thanking his former teammate alongside the infamous picture of him celebrating at Euro 2012.
It wrote: “Thanks for the nice words .. Such a super champion and above all by a man like you makes me happy, and charges me. Thanks Andrea.”
Balotelli has always been known for his antics off the pitch, but it’s so often over-shadowed his undisputed quality on it. Both he and Pirlo were dominant at Euro 2012, a tournament which demonstrated his ability to be influential at the very top level.
Despite this, the striker has often flopped at domestic level and failed to impress Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp so far.
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